Come On Get Higher

We only spent a day sweating it out in Palenque before we headed for the mountains of Chiapas to cool off. As expected, the bus ride up was big-time beautiful as we bumped and bounced our way out of the jungle and into pine-covered forests before an eventual descent into San Cristobal De La Casas. All the cool kids just call it San Cris' by the way, but Julia and I could never call it that with a straight face.

Like those kids, San Cristobal is cool. Like most in Mexico, It is home to a few pretty churches and a lively town square (noticing a trend?) and the elevation leaves it with clear sunny days and crisp hot chocolatey nights. It's got a laid back dreadlocked vibe and it has to be the capital of the “homemade granola bars being sold out of a basket on the street” economy.  Oddly enough though, the thing I remember the most from San Cristobal are the clouds.

Every afternoon a monstrous wall of bright white clouds would billow up from the East like something out of a movie. The Clouds wasn't a scary movie though because they were peaceful pillows that just served as a puffy canvas for the sunsets going down across the valley to paint. Now I’m not a scientist, heck, I’m barely even a blogger, but I’m guessing these clouds are the end result of the thin mountain air mixing with the humidity down below in places like Palenque or something else scientific sounding. Whatever it was, it was real cool, man.

I would just stand there staring up admiring them each night saying things like “woah” and “check this out”, and if you are wondering, no, we weren't smoking anything funny with the barefoot granola guys.






"Come On Get Higher" by Matt Nathanson
Album: Some Mad Hope

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Nightlife, Shopping, Gastronomy - Ibiza is Everything You Need

I remember first hearing about Ibiza on a show on E! called "Wild On". It was the number one party destination in Europe back then and I knew I wanted to go there at some point. I haven't made it there yet, but as you will read in this post by a friend, Ibiza is still #1, and for much more than just partying.

Think Ibiza and you think party capital of Europe. Crazy teens and twenty-somethings, hen parties and stag dos partying till dawn. Whilst this is true and one off the major attractions of the Balearic Island, Ibiza has more to offer. It can provide the all-round perfect holiday for couples, families and groups of friends. 

Shopping

Shopping is probably what Ibiza is least popular for, but this is not due to lack of quality shopping areas, interesting markets and trendy boutiques. Don´t worry about getting up early as most shops will open late, close for siesta between 2pm and 6pm and then open until past midnight. Ibiza town´s port area and streets have been designed into a shopping area including typical high street brands such as Mango, Zara and Stradivarius as well as designer makes and vintage shops. But if you’re looking for handmade jewelry, clothing and keepsakes, the Hippy Markets in Es Cana on Wednesdays and Las Dalias in San Carlos on Saturdays are worth a visit and provide an experience by themselves, even if you don´t buy anything.  Playa d´en Bossa is the place to find stylish boutiques and San Antonio for nightclub merchandise. 

Eating Out 

In Ibiza you can find a vast range of cuisines including Mediterranean, Asian, traditional Spanish tapas and Mexican. There are many specialist fresh fish restaurants in Ibiza too. Whatever resort you are in, you can find restaurants from every price range and style. For example, if you´re looking to watch the sunset, enjoy nice food and not break the bank, there are plenty of options along San Antonio bay. If you’re looking for finer dining, family friendly places or a quiet relaxing meal, then try Santa Eulalia. Go to Playa d´en Bossa for everything from snack bars to chill out bars to meet all budgets and to Ibiza Town for romantic intimate eateries and tapas bars. Also delicious lunches can be enjoyed in the many small villages. 

Accommodation 

There are a number of options of accommodation including low cost hostels, private Villas and apartments. If you are looking for a hotel in Ibiza, each resort has a many covering the entire price range. San Antonio is 18-30s territory full of affordable, lively hotels, however San Antonio Bay has a quieter more family friendly atmosphere. Whereas Ibiza town ticks all the boxes, perfect for families, couples and friends, pleasant day or night with a beach only a ten minute walk away. Santa Eulalia has many adult only hotels perfect for couples as well as accommodation child entertainment and minder facilities. 

Nightlife

And of course, Ibiza provides great nightlife. Super clubs such as Amnesia, Pacha and Space are world renowned, have capacities able to admit thousands and attract the world’s most famous DJs and music acts. However, the nightlife begins much earlier than that and can be enjoyed by all the family. Such as sipping a cold drink in one of the chill out bars on the sunset strip such famous Café de Mar or Café Mambo to watch the sunset whilst listening to chill out music. If you’re looking for a relaxed evening, hopping from bar to bar, Santa Eulalia has a “small town” feel. At Playa d´en Bossa the beach bars come to live as the sun goes down, home to the legendry Bora Bora open air beach club. 

Ibiza really does have everything you need for a great holiday!

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I Took Pictures of the Palenque Ruins and All I Got Was This Sweaty T-Shirt

After leaving Valladolid, we spent two days and one night in Merida, where we really didn't do anything cool except swing in some more hammocks. Now I know what you are thinking, but these hammocks were suspended over a swimming pool, so it technically was a whole new experience entirely. Looking back, we wish we had stayed in Valladolid longer. We had to go through Merida though to catch an overnight bus to Palenque, one thing led to another, and we regrettably decided to stay a couple days. Palenque is a hot and humid mess of a town in the state of Chiapas, which borders Guatemala, and is home to to some world famous ruins. These ruins were one of the highlights of our time in Mexico so far for me. They were breathtaking and inspiring and all of that stuff and if you wanna see some pictures of them, here you go:

Templo de las Incripciones - the most famous site here. Basically they found the tomb of a guy named Pakal and it was awesome.

El Palacio. I'm being told this is Spanish for Palace

I hustled to the to of this big boy to check out the below Mayan carvings

Ol' boy smoking a pipe

the view from the top, palace to the right

profile pic material?

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It Was A Good Day

After a few days in Valladolid swinging in the hammock in the back garden of the tranquil-cool Hostel Candaleria, admiring pretty pastel buildings on the street, and lounging in the town square making googly eyes up at that really pretty church I wrote about on my last post, it was time to, grrrr, go sightseeing. Yes, that was a growl you just read.

But why would I be growling about going sightseeing? Isn't that what traveling is all about and don’t I love the heck out of traveling? Well, yes and no. Sometimes traveling is about sightseeing, no question. Other times though it’s just about swinging in that hammock in the lush back garden of your hostel doing absolutely nothing besides trying not to spill your beer. Doing that feels more travelly then trudging through museums, admiring architecture, or spending a day day-tripping sometimes. Real talk here, guys. Well, we were really, really comfortable in that hammock. If you skip the sightseeing entirely though, you end up feeling guilty and get a tiny nugget of regret tagging along with you to the next stop. That tiny nugget of regret was what got us out of bed on our last day in Valladolid for a big Sunday of sightseeing fun and games.

Our first sight was a local cenote. You hear a lot about these things when you get to the Yucatan. They are basically sinkholes with underground rivers in them or something and I think they have to do with caves too. I’m not completely sure, but what I do know is that they are geologically unique to this area and you are supposed to go to one when you are in the Yucatan, especially if you have a travel blog. We went. I swam around for thirty minutes or so in the refreshing blue water, dove off the rocks a couple times and cooled off. It was pretty fun.

The next stop were ancient Mayan Ruins. The rockstar ruins of the Yucatan Peninsula are Chichen Itza and everyone and their brother goes there. We passed on those. We took a cab out to the Ek’ Balaam because they were closer, cheaper, you could climb up on them, and we didn't want to deal with the crowds of Chichen Itza. We walked around and climbed the ruins, were blown away by some of the sculptures on the Acropolis, and took lots of pictures. It was pretty fun.

The last stop on our Sunday sightseeing train was back in the town square. We had read in our guidebook about a traditional dance and music festival that happens in the square every Sunday night, so we decided to check it out. We watched the dancing, listened to the music, and had churros under the moonlight in the shadow of that really pretty church again. It was pretty fun.

So, yeah, basically that Sunday was the best day we’ve had in Mexico so far.






"It Was A Good Day" by Ice Cube
Album: Predator

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Pictures of San Servacio Cathedral, Valladolid

After Isla Holbox, our next stop was the pastel painted Yucatan town of Valladolid. You will be reading more about our fabulous four nights there soon, but for now here is a preview. I am absolutely obsessed with the churches and cathedrals here in Mexico, and San Servacio (San Gervasio) Cathedral in Valladolid was the first one I saw on this trip, so it will always have a special place in my heart and on this blog. It just screams Mexico to me, and when I saw it I knew I was going to love Valladolid.

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5 Different Weekend Trips In Europe - Which One Will You Pick?

This is a piece written by a friend about weekend getaways in Europe, and here's a spoiler alert, we will be spending a couple weeks in one of these cities. Enjoy. 


Thinking of going away for a short trip this spring? It’s the perfect time to go on a city break or escape to the countryside. It’s not quite time for a summer holiday but you still need a break to switch off and relax. There are lots of different destinations you can visit in Europe so it can be difficult to decide where to go. As it’s going to be a one off break, make sure you get Virgin Money single trip travel insurance.  Here are five very different places in Europe that are ideal for a weekend adventure.

1. Amsterdam
The average flight time from the UK to Amsterdam is only an hour, so you could be sitting in a quirky coffee shop in Amsterdam in just over 60 minutes. Amsterdam has so much more to offer than many people think, fascinating museums, tasty places to grab a bite to eat and a charming centre that is best explored by bicycle. The Anne Frank Huis and Van Gogh museum are definitely worth a visit.

2. Krakow
Book a trip to the second largest city in Poland and you will appreciate the charm of this interesting city. You will be in awe of its beautiful architecture and collection of important historic buildings. Krakow is a lively city where you can have a really good night out. There are plenty of great bars to choose from. Make sure you try some polish delicacies and tasty local dishes on your trip.

3. Perpignan
If you want a relaxing trip in a quiet and peaceful destination then try Perpignan. Stay away from the centre and visit the surrounding villages and towns set in the Pyrenees mountains. You can go on country walks through the mountains and rivers where you can see some spectacular views. Ceret is a lovely little French town with charming cafes and excellent restaurants. As many of these towns are only an hour or two from the border you could also plan a day trip to Spain.
     
4. Barcelona
Barcelona is one of Europe's best city destinations because of its tasty food, stunning architecture, great shopping and vibrant culture. Here you can get the best of both worlds as Barcelona also has beaches, so you can spend the morning shopping and the afternoon relaxing on the beach. If you have a passion for art and history then you will love Barcelona. Visit the various Gaudi landmarks and check out the numerous museums located around the city.

5. Anglesey
If you don’t want to travel too far then book your next weekend trip to Anglesey in Wales. You can go on endless walks along the coastline where you will come across pretty bays, hidden caves and breathtaking countryside. There are lots of things to see and do such as visiting old lighthouses, exploring breathtaking castles and spending a day at the farm. You can also enjoy a cosy traditional pub meal at one of the local pubs. It’s the perfect destination for a chilled out weekend getaway.






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